Arizona Governor Announced 20% Raise for Teachers

Today, after much protest from teachers in Arizona, Governor Doug Ducey proposed a plan to increase teacher salaries 20 percent by 2020.

According to KTAR News, teachers will see a one percent pay raise in fiscal year 2018, a nine percent raise in fiscal year 2019 and then a five percent raise in both fiscal years 2020 and 2021.

Arizona teachers are among the biggest difference-makers in the lives of Arizona’s children and we need to reward them for their hard work — that’s why we’ve put together a plan to give teachers a 20% pay raise by school year 2020. #AZEducation

In this proposal, Ducey claims that the state’s revenues are on the rise and have been higher than originally projected, combined with a reduction in state government operating budgets through strategic efficiencies.

The governor claims that the average teacher salary is $48,723, so with this wage increase, it is projected that teachers will have their salary increase to about $58,130 in 2020.

This was proposed due to many teachers threatening a walk-out over their low wages. This was a quick action, because Wednesday teachers staged “sit-in’s.” The Associated Press reported that Arizona Educators United says the “walk-ins” were held at 1,112 schools in 130 districts across the state. The demonstrations saw teachers march arm-in-arm into school wearing red shirts as part of the #RedforEd campaign.

Many people have seen on the news statewide strikes after teachers across West Virginia protested in March, causing a nine-day shutdown of public schools. The strike ended after state officials vowed to raise teacher pay five percent. Oklahoma is also fighting for better wages for their teachers.

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